Rêve Romantique
by Xiiravi
Summary: Slash, AU, XOver, Seifer/Harry. Seifer finally gets to realize his Romantic Dream when Harry, a Sorcerer, appears. Now a more level-headed and responsible Seifer takes his SeeD exams, with much different results.
1. Memories

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Potterverse, or anything from the Final Fantasy series.

Summary:_ Tossed violently through time and space by a twisted ritual, Harry winds up near Seifer and Squall's battle. When Seifer discovers the teen, he realizes Harry is a Sorcerer and decides it's his duty to become his knight. Without telling Harry. The youth's skills were enough to catch Cid's attention, and the Headmaster decides to send Harry with Seifer's team. Now with the calming presence of his Sorcerer, and a need to impress, a more responsible Seifer takes his SeeD exam with noticeably different results. _Warnings:_ Slash, AU, Crossover with FFVIII, Seifer/Harry_

_Note: The first piece of this chapter is a bit darker than the rest. In fact, I don't foresee anything similar any time soon._

**Memories **

Harry struggled uselessly against his bindings, trying to escape this horrible situation. Voldemort had managed to overthrow the European wizarding world, taking over the ministries and a great majority of the schools. With the ministry fallen, and Albus Dumbledore dead, the wizarding world was ready to submit. The Dark Lord had finally managed to capture Harry Potter while he was shifting to another safe house in America, when a spy in the Order had ratted them out. Unfortunately, not only was The-Boy-Who-Lived captured, but also were most of the remaining Order members.

Now Harry was strapped to a blood soaked altar, surrounded by the last seven members of the Order who were to be used as human sacrifices in this warped ritual. Everyone else had already been slaughtered mercilessly, some used in the bloody art now on the floor. The lines of blood spiraled merrily, twisting and winding about in a circular fashion; it ran from the seven circles and their chained occupants to dance up the sides and onto the surface of the altar. Runes etched into stone and sacrificial flesh wavered eerily in the torchlight, soaked in more blood, yet not a drop touched Harry.

He felt as if that was the worst part. In order for the ritual to be successful, the circle and runes had to be painted with innocents' blood. For reasons unknown, his vessel had to be whole. While he was sent to another dimension, his remaining friends and family would die horribly, blood spilling from their bodies as the ritual drained first their magic, then their life energy, and finally consume their bodies to remove him from this world. Even though this would leave him physically unharmed, Voldemort rejoiced in the fact that there was no way for Harry to return, and that he would live the rest of his life with the knowledge that _he _was the reason for his friends fates.

It had started. The flames flickered around the stone room as a dark energy rendered the blood a glaring red; luminous color began seeping inwards from the circle's edge as the Imperio'd sacrifices chanted their death song. Strings of light twined and connected, casting a sickly glow on the walls of the room as the magic consumed the fires. The first scream rent the air as the blood magic took its initial sacrifice. Harry cried out, distraught, when the blood of his first friend splashed across his face. Blood dripped from his eyes in a parody of tears, as the second scream tore through the room. Harry could only close his eyes and pretend that none of this was happening, that he would be safe in his room when he awoke, that this was only a perverse nightmare sent to him by the Dark Lord.

But it wasn't. His mind tore at itself, determined to eradicate this event from his mind to save his sanity. Quickly his mind destroyed the last few years of his life, ripping and shredding everything and anything negative, desperate to save this functioning human in its entirety. His magic welled up, healing and soothing the events from his past, sorting personal information from general knowledge, discarding anything tying him to this world. Once he would awake in the new world, he would be whole; no event would have broken him, no knowledge condemning him, no memory to hold him.

Under assault of mind and magic, Harry soon fell into the dark hold of unconsciousness.

-0-

Seifer gripped his face as blood started gushing from the wound between his eyes. Lightning flashed and seared the skies, roars of thunder splitting the air as the training partners continued their fight. The ground started shaking violently after the crash, testing the duelists' hold on gravity. The two were suddenly pulled from their glaring contest when Squall and Seifer heard a sharp cry of pain. Squall spun towards the sound, moving quickly to find its source, as Seifer followed at a more sedate pace. The disciplinary committee leader seemed more concerned when the crumpled form of a child or young teen was seen wedged amongst the rocks, trails of blood trickling down from the body's resting place. Seifer moved past his shocked rival and checked for a pulse.

"Still alive?" The brunette mumbled. Seifer nodded. "We should bring them to the infirmary."

He promptly scooped up the youth and headed for the clinic, Squall close behind. Before he had even taken a third step, the adolescent gasped, arching in pain then glowing faintly. The scratches and bruises started to close up and fade, causing the blond to stumble, eyes widening in shock. This wasn't the color of Cure, and neither he nor Squall had cast any healing spell. Even as he watched, the lesser hurts started to heal, as the more severe wounds became only minor damages. Could this person who had appeared so suddenly be a Witch?

Seifer's heart beat faster at that idea. A _Sorceress. _One of his most prominent memories—no, his life's _dream—_is to be the Knight of a Sorceress. And now there may very well be one lying in his arms. Groaning signaled their conscious state, and a final pulse of light sealed the last of the wounds. Eyes fluttered softly in an attempt to open to the world. Seifer could have sworn his heart not just skipped, but _vaulted _out of his chest and into his throat. Deep soothing emerald glinted from beneath heavily lidded eyes, first taking in the sky before shifting to connect with his.

-0-

As the tendrils of darkness slipped their hold on his mind, Harry tried vainly to reacquaint himself with the waking world. His eyes felt as if they were cemented shut, and all he could tell is that he _hurt_. Warmth flooded through him following his gasp of pain, his magic trying to lessen his distress. As his senses started to function properly again, he became more aware of what was happening outside his body. From what he could tell, he was currently being cradled gently against a large firm chest—male, then.

Coaxing his eyes open, he was rewarded with visions of a cloud darkened sky and the sound of a quickened heartbeat, not his own. Focusing his eyes closer, the person holding him came into view. The male was blond, with purified-ice blue eyes, a strong face, and a fresh gash from forehead to inner cheekbone, cutting across the bridge of his nose. Harry reached up mindlessly to heal the cut and had managed to stop the blood flow when a noise practically startled him from his skin.

"Hey–" Squall, who had seen the teen move, came forward to check on him. Before he could speak properly, the sky lit fire and thunder echoed across the land. He almost received a heart attack at the kid's panicked reaction.

Harry jumped in fright and light burst around the small frame, hardening into luminescent feathered protrusions from his back. Of course, all he knew was that his heart had attempted to abandon ship through his mouth, and was beating furiously against his ribcage. While feeling silly, he felt justified because of the sheer _volume_ of the storm. When the arms tightened about him and twin gasps reached his ears, he chanced a look and saw the glowing plume-patterned dome arching above his face. At his own shock, the rigid arcs slacked and fell gently to the sides, allowing in the light prickly sensation he barely noticed earlier to start wetting his body.

"Are those–_wings?"_ A choked voice asked. Harry's head whipped around and took in a slack-jawed brunette. The arm underneath his shoulders shifted slightly and stroked the shining feathers lying along his side. The odd sensation sent tingles along the structure and up his spine, causing his eyes to briefly close.

"_Yes," _Harry breathed. He flexed his muscles slightly, jostling his wings. The dark haired man leaned closer to touch his feathers as well, but his support only clutched him closer and he felt their weight shift back. _Seems like someone doesn't like to share, _he chuckled mentally. This thought was only confirmed as he looked up to see the flaxen-haired man sneering at the other. He shifted and winced as his pinion was crushed between him and the one holding him.

As if sensing his discomfort, blue eyes quickly met his own. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. May I get down, please?" The blond looked uncertain, probably worried he was still hurt. "I'm fine, but my wings are a bit cramped…" Harry was quickly set down on his own two feet.

From the ground, he could see the two better now. The blond almost towered above Harry, wearing a long white coat with red markings. The brunette, while shorter than the blond was still taller than Harry, and was dressed mostly in black. The both had similar weapons with them, so they must have been fighting before he got here. Speaking of which…

How did he get here? Where _is_ here? He tried to remember something, _any_ relevant to where he was or why, but all he could remember was his own name, and facts you could learn from a book. He knew things like he went to school, but he didn't know where. He knew he didn't grow up with his parents, but he wasn't sure who had raised him. Hell, he didn't even remember if he had _wings_ all his life! It was as if someone had stripped his mind of all but the structural pieces that would make it collapse if they had gone missing. A hand on his shoulder interrupted his internal musing.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" The blond—_I really should do introductions soon_—peered into his eyes worriedly.

"Yes, sorry, I just can't seem to remember…" Harry trailed off as if confused. "Well, I just can't seem to remember." Harry shrugged casually, and tilted his head. "Thanks for earlier. My name is Harry."

-0-

Seifer had to hold back a growl as Squall tried to touch his Sorceress' wings. When he felt the body shifting in his arms and cringing, he shifted his vision down. "Are you alright?" _What if he hasn't healed internally?_ The youth—_a boy?_—assured him that it was only his wings, and Seifer hastily righted the petite brunette to ease the stress on his wings. Now that he was standing properly, it was more obvious the gender of the magic user. _When has a Sorceress ever been a boy?_ For there was no doubt now with the wings—he truly was a Witch. The teen's gaze was cast about curiously, and looked more than just a bit confused. When he started to frown, Seifer put a hand on his shoulder, and again asked after his health.

He was alarmed when the boy implied not remembering anything, but he relaxed as he heard "Thanks for earlier. My name is Harry." So he at least knew his own name. Seifer smiled at Harry.

"You're welcome. My name is Seifer," he nodded at his sparring partner, who was dabbing at his own cut. "And that's Squall." He turned back to Harry in time to see the wings fade back into light, and dim. "Do you remember anything?" Harry moved over to Squall and touched the still bleeding wound. It sealed over, but had still scarred because of the length of time it was left alone.

"I remember basic facts and information, but anything personal… It's as if the memories just don't exist. The only things in my mind that could count as actual memories are all from when I woke up." Harry stepped back a bit and glanced to make sure no one was bleeding elsewhere. The two Balamb soldiers frowned at that. It sounded similar to what they knew of, but Harry wasn't a Garden member. And he would have at least remembered a Garden if he was.

Seifer's heart ached to hear Harry had no memories until just now. These odd feelings cemented his idea. This would be _his _Sorcerer. His 'romantic dream' would no longer be a dream, but reality. He would become a Knight, the best one the world had ever seen, protecting and standing by his Sorcerer.

Squall looked at Harry, then back to Seifer. "We should go see the Headmaster."


	2. Sign Me Up

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not, nor ever will, own either the Potterverse or the FF series. This is a site for fanfiction luvs, and that's simply what I write.

_*Is gobsmacked* I was surprised at how quickly I started receiving story alerts, favorites, and the occasional review—I had barely released the story! Thanks to everyone, you literally made my day. Here's a _VERY_ early update; I was so excited, I couldn't help myself ^^; Again, feedback, questions, comments—anything is appreciated. Let me know what you liked, what you disliked, if something doesn't make sense… the works._

**Sign Me Up**

Squall had to leave halfway back to Garden, saying he'd join them later. When asked why, he said he needed to take care of something before the SeeD exam. Seifer said he probably needed to finish the pre-requisite. The pair quickly reached the front gate, and Seifer escorted Harry inside.

"Welcome to Balamb Garden. It's a military academy designed to turn out students who can move on to enlist in armies around the world, or become the Garden's mercenaries." Harry looked around at the vast room in awe. Water ran in pools around the circular walk, and a large central tower looked to encase an elevator to higher levels. From here, he could see several doorways leading down halls to other wings. "The mercenaries are called SeeDs. They take on jobs around the world, doing all sorts of work—from assassinations to protecting civilians. I'm going to be a SeeD." Seifer puffed up proudly at this, and Harry couldn't help but smile as the phrase '_hero complex'_ came to mind. Then he mentally frowned. _It seems like a joke I've forgotten…_

The blond strode towards a large panel set almost into the center of the walk. "This is Garden's directory. It shows where we are," Seifer points, "And areas you can go. To the right is our Library—it's nothing spectacular, and students can get more information from the class study panels—but it's open to the public. Next is the training area. Monsters in there are real, so I'd suggest you stay out of there for now."

"How do they keep them from escaping the training grounds?" Harry seemed a bit startled at the idea of housing monsters in a school full of students in training.

"Special fencing and gates. Don't worry; the majority of students are more than capable of taking on most of the creatures." Harry nodded, still dubious about the monsters. He knew that people could be monsters and animals monster-like, but for some reason he knew Seifer was talking about something entirely different. "Now past that is the Parking Garage. When going out on missions, these vehicles are how we get around.

"On the other side of this hall are the dorms. Cadets share split rooms, while SeeDs get their own. Unless the number of SeeDs in the dorms is higher or lower than the number of rooms available, of course." Seifer looked up and nodded to the far left door visible in the room and pointed accordingly on the panel. "Here is our cafeteria. Food competitions are getting crazy in there lately. We switched a few recipes and now the students maul each other like starved beasts."

If Harry found amusement in the disgusted look Seifer shot at students rushing into the café, he didn't say anything to Seifer. Best to avoid that battle. Instead, he redirected the focus of the blond.

"And that over there?"

"The Quad. Students are setting up for an event there right now. Last is the Infirmary, just to our left. Doctor Kadowaki runs the clinic, taking care of any injured students and offering advice." Harry looked at the elevator questioningly. Seifer caught the look. "There is a second and third floor as well, classes on the second, the Headmaster's office on the third. The rest of the grounds are open courtyards to wander and hang out. Most students can be found outside when not in class or training."

"But not we should go see the Headmaster." Seifer moved away from the directory and towards the elevator. Harry moved around the panel to follow, but was knocked over by an energetic girl. Before he hit the ground, he felt strong arms wrap around him and hoist him back up. "No running in Garden!" Seifer raged. "You could hurt someone!" Harry laid a hand on the angry teen's arm, which still hadn't left its spot curled around his waist.

"Sorry! Are you okay?" She stopped long enough for Harry to begin nodding before rambling on. "I'm trying to find homeroom… Has it started yet?" Bells chimed throughout Balamb Garden, and now that Harry was looking, all the students had disappeared.

"Yes." Seifer smirked at the girl's distressed cry, but traded it in for a wince when Harry's elbow met his ribs. "Second floor, first door of the right hall." Harry only smiled up at him, eyes laughing. _Cheeky bastard,_ he thought affectionately.

-0-

Cid Kramer was more than a little shocked when one of the Cadets came in with a civilian. Not only that, but it was Seifer, a child who had come to the orphanage, one he helped raise. Curious, Cid stood to greet the two boys. Brief introductions were exchanged, and they sat around his desk.

Cid leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him. "So, what has brought one of my talented students and a member of the public to my office?"

-0-

Seifer could've sworn he saw a glimmer in the Headmaster's eye when they explained this morning's events. Harry gave as much of his story as he knew—little as it was—and the Headmaster nodded thoughtfully. Suspicion only grew when Cid Kramer shot him what can only be described as a _Look. _

"Well, I propose we give young Harry a test; if he does well, he can join the ranks at Garden. If not, we can temporarily house him in the dorms until we find out either where or to whom he belongs. Does that seem agreeable enough?" Both teens nodded their heads.

-0-

Cid felt as if he could die laughing when he heard about Harry's predicament. Not the part of memory loss of course, but rather the fact that though they didn't state it outright, Harry was indeed the first male Sorcerer. Cid remembered a time fondly of when little Seifer would run around posing and posturing, claiming he would become a Witch's Knight. He watched that silly movie endlessly, practicing his stance, changing his speech patterns, even now wielding the same weapon as the Knight!

Cid could only chuckle as Seifer unconsciously moved his seat closer to the boy. Yes, this would be amusing. His boy's dream was unfolding right in front of him, and the fact that the Sorcerer was none the wiser only added to his joy. It was lovely seeing children grow and change, and he would get to see it happen.

"We shall take this to the training grounds then, and see just what Harry can do." With that, Cid stood and strode out of the room, the teens scrambling behind him to follow.

-0-

Squall met the group as they stepped off the elevator. "Has anything been decided?"

"We're going to test my abilities in the training grounds. Want to join us?" Squall nodded silently at Harry, and the group moved to the east door. The look on the petit brunette's face was priceless when they stepped past the hall and into an area open to the sky.

"_Whoa,"_ was his stunned response. Headmaster Cid stopped them just inside, and turned to the teen standing next to Seifer.

"What will you be fighting with? Magic? Or a weapon?" Harry stopped and thought for a moment.

"Magic." He stated firmly. The Headmaster just gestured to the wide door to their right. Harry nodded and made his way forward, Seifer and Squall just behind.

-0-

Cid blew a special whistle around his neck, and suddenly monsters were pouring out of the flora. Seifer jumped in alarm and made to move forward, but Cid held him back. "Just wait."

Harry simply steadied his balance, his hands developing a faint orange glow. As the first wave surged to attack the young boy, hands shot out and strings of light glinted and flashed through the masses. With each sweep of his arm, blood and flesh splattered at the Sorcerer's feet. In retaliation, a large dinosaur-like creature charged the small teen, roaring its fury to the world.

Harry instinctively brought his hands together and the light swelled, strands spiraling and locking around to become ropes. These whipped around the large creature's neck, growing thorns and barbs that struck and buried into the creature's skin. With a shimmer and twist of light, glowing outlines of translucent wings appeared behind the magic user, moving lazily against his back. The rope lights began drawing magic and life force from the monster, sending pulses of different colored lights down the line, back into Harry. With a distressed cry, the creature withered and faded, bones and flesh crumbling to ash.

Harry was panting and out of breath from that last attack, though he felt strangely charged. The others looked on, stunned. With multiple monster corpses lying slain and cubed about the boy, nobody doubted that he could handle battle just fine. Harry grimaced and straightened. While charged, he also felt a different sort of drain. One that made functioning difficult. The wings faded out of existence, and Harry suddenly felt nauseous.

"I don't think I'm supposed to do that second part very often…" He trailed off as his eyes began to lose focus, body swaying on the spot. Seifer swiftly moved forward and plucked Harry off the ground before his body could make contact.

"Are you all right?" The arms pulled Harry close and he sighed as the warm concern washed over him.

"Mhmm…" Harry closed his eyes for a second, and then giggled. "This happens too often around you."

The Knight could only smile. "Better around me, than elsewhere."

-0-

"Then it's decided. You will go with Seifer's squad," Headmaster Cid shot Seifer an almost knowing look, "And assist them should anything happen." The blond just sneered at the Headmaster's look.

"Headmaster! That child is not even a student of Garden! We can't send _civilians_ out on SeeD missions!" At the woman's outburst Seifer shifted closer to Harry and glowered at her.

"He's more than capable–"

Harry cut off the Headmaster, glaring at the annoying redhead. "I'm not a _child._ I'm… Eh… Well, I'm not a child!" His face heated slightly. _I can't even remember my age? _He then brightened at a new thought. _Oh, but I might have some sort of ID on me. I never searched my clothes._ With that in mind, he started digging through the numerous pockets in his cargo pants and a strange dress-like coat. Squall and Seifer just looked on, curious as to his sudden inattention.

Quistis felt even more irritated when the kid not only forgot his age, but also interrupted the Headmaster. "See? This is _exactly _what I mean! He doesn't know _whom _he is, _where _he's from; he's forgotten his own age! Why should we take an amnesiac onto a battlefield when mistakes can mean _life and death?" _Seifer was about to spit out a scathing reply before he was cut off.

"Ah! 'Harry James Potter, Age 17, ID code: 0Pr1SL93', whatever that's for." He flipped the card around, only to see a scan strip and a Phoenix in flight. So instead, he looked up at the ruffled instructor, staring her down. "Regardless of my memory status, I have complete knowledge of all my skills and abilities. I remember how to fight, and all I learned. I may not remember the specifics of people or places, but I believe I was some type of resistance member. Through that, I've had plenty of hands-on experience, as well as years of training. Can you say the same,_ Instructor_ Quistis?" Seifer could only grin smugly at the look on the Instructor's face.

She had fallen silent under the verbal battering. The Headmaster shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "Ah. Yes. Well, now that's all settled, I believe we can get things started, yes?"

-0-

The troop left the office quietly and swiftly made their way to the cars. After a speech made by the headmaster, Team B all piled into one of the last vehicles, Seifer making sure to sit as close to Harry as possible. Quistis and Squall sat opposite, and Zell sat down on Seifer's other side.

After a short period of silence, Zell leaned forward. "Hey, you the new kid? Got a name?"

"…Harry."

"What's your sig?" At the odd look Harry gave him, he went on. "Ya know, your signature move? What do ya fight with?"

Harry thought it over for a second, trying to see if he could associate any of his knowledge with a particular weapon. "Anything, I think. I feel I'm best with magic though."

Zell hummed. "Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" Squall didn't show any intention of doing so.

"Gunblade?" Harry asked. Squall and Seifer focused on him.

"That's right, you wouldn't have seen them." Seifer motioned to a case leaning against the wall near Harry. "That's mine, Hyperion. You can look if you want." Harry leaned over, dragging the case to himself before trying to heft it onto their laps. Seifer grabbed the other handle of the case, pulled it up and snapped the latches open.

"Whoa! And this is a gunblade? It's beautiful." Light fingers trailed down over the blade, the decorative etchings, and the grip. Zell leaned in to get a look as well. "It's like a sword, but… it's as if someone mounted one onto a gun." Seifer smiled proudly.

"Exactly. It doesn't shoot like a regular gun, but it still releases one hell of a blast when you pull the trigger." Harry turned to Squall.

"Is yours the same?" Squall shook his head in the negative, and opened his case to show Harry. "Wow, that's cool! Yours seems built different though."

"Gunblades can be one or two–handed. Mine's lighter and made for speed, so it only needs one hand. Squall's is heavier, meant for power strikes. Needs two hands." Harry nodded, that made sense.

Soon the car pulled into Balamb harbor, where they would be boarding the vessel to Dollet. Harry was a little nervous since while he knew he fought before, he couldn't _remember_ fighting. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, and a whisper reached his ear.

"You'll be fine. I promise."


	3. To Obtain

_DISCLAIMER: Still don't own the HP or FF series. They're just my puppets._

_Warnings- Mild unpleasantness, slash relationship development, curse words._

_-+-Notes: I'm worried Harry may be creeping towards either too powerful or Gary Stu-ish. If you see strong signs of either of these yourself, please let me know where, and what I can do to humanize him. As much as I like the occasional SuperPower!Harry, I don't want him here. Cliches nice to know of also, as well as any blatant spelling errors that have been missed (not counting speech patterns)._

_In regards to the actual story, Fujin and Raijin will be introduced towards the end. Do to the need to save my eyes the bleeding pain of cap–locked conversations, I shall keep Fujin's dialogue to 'one word'–esque phrasing, but will not copy the English game's speech pattern. _

**To Obtain**

The group boarded their aquatic transportation, filing into the small cabin down through a cramped hall. Harry seated himself and gazed around the cabin, noticing the screen set into the wall, the other doors, and what appeared to be a large rear hatch. He looked up and smiled at Squall who sat across from him. The other just nodded, then looked to the door as the others settled in. Shortly after everyone was seated, a dark haired woman came in.

"Hi, Quistis." The woman turned and eyed the rest of them.

"This is Squad B." A curt reply served to alert the team of her sour mood. Zell was first to respond.

"Nice to meet ya!"

"Pleased to meet you..." The trailing reply led Harry to wonder if Squall was ever socially awkward as a child.

"Seifer, how many times has it been now?"

"Enough. This one will be my last." The woman's brow raised.

"You sound so sure." Her eyes traveled past the smug blond to land on Harry. "Last minute addition?" Harry nodded. "Ever done this before?"

"No ma'am." She smiled.

"Then welcome to your first mission. My name is Xu, and I'll be briefing you all on the assignment. Your name?"

"Harry." Xu nodded before launching into explaination.

"Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made 18 hours ago. Dollet has been under attack by the Galbadian Army since about 72 hours ago. 49 hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city. Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status."

As the woman talked, Harry watched fascinated as the screen lit up to show locations and troop movement, along with a series of characters. Harry could guess that this was common writing, and was worried that he had forgotten how to read. The odd characters shifted and rippled under his vision for a moment, before clearing to something he could understand. He gave a small sigh of relief, and smiled reassuringly when Seifer glanced at him in question. Harry quickly turned back as Xu continued speaking.

"Now onto the mission objective. According to our reports, the Galbadian Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region. We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach. We're to eliminate the remaining enemies within the city and liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any Galbadian forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region."

Seifer looked at the map thoughtfully. "And our assignment?"

"SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city."

Zell straightened from his slouch in excitement. "Sounds important!"

Harry could only smile in amusement as he heard Seifer mutter something darkly about doing the boring dirty work. _Hero complex,_ his mind sung_._

"Of course," Xu said, interrupting the Knight's private tirade, "The order to withdraw takes priority. Do not forget. Now, we're almost there, so make sure you're prepared. We anticipate a battle as soon as we disembark. That's all. Any questions, talk to Quistis." Xu nodded again to them all before turning and walking towards what Harry guessed was the control room.

Harry plucked at the hem of his uniform jacket, wondering if he was truly ready.

"Nervous?" He nodded at Zell. "I am too… first real battle." Harry just quirked a half–smile and pulled at a now loose thread.

"Hey, you're fine. I'm here after all, eh?" Seifer's larger hand covered his and squeezed, and Harry looked up, eyes light with amusement.

"What, are you my knight in shining armor? Going to ride in on your—" Here Harry was tempted to say 'white horse', whatever that was, but his mind supplied him with the correct animal, and different words tumbled from his lips without pause. "White Chocobo and save me?" Seifer grinned and leaned in.

"And if I said yes?" His grin only widened at Harry's light blush.

While embarrassed, Harry continued to tease back. "Then I guess I would have to call you my Knight, then, wouldn't I?" Harry's shy and unknowing grin made his heart skip.

"So you should," he murmured. A throat clearing caused the two to whip and face Zell, who's own face was now reddening slightly.

"Save the flirting for after the mission, yo." Harry ducked his head as his face flamed, and Seifer just rolled his eyes.

"I'll go see where we are." If anyone thought he didn't need Harry to do that, no one said anything when he grabbed the brunette's wrist and led him to the ladder.

-0-

Eyes gleaming in excitement, a thin bronze hand holding back dark hair flickering violently around a grinning face with the other wrapped around the rail as he leaned forward, Harry looked like the perfect invitation to indulge in his more sinful thoughts. Seifer couldn't have taken his eyes off Harry if the world was ending, and even if it did, he wouldn't want to. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller waist, pressing gently against Harry's back. The hand once in Harry's hair lowered to wrap around the forearm locked about his chest.

"Did you mean it?" He made sure his low inquiry was heard by placing his lips close to the other's ear. Harry's head turned slightly and cocked in question. "Can I be your Knight?" The smaller male twisted slightly to look at him, saw his serious look and smiled soflty.

"If you'd like to be, I would gladly call you my Knight." Harry knew that to the man holding him tenderly, this meant more to Seifer than Harry could understand. Yet Harry meant what he said; whatever the blond wanted to become to him, Harry would gladly accept. While he liked—to a degree—everyone he had met so far, Seifer was the only one who provoked warm emotions Harry couldn't explain. He didn't know if he had ever felt anything like it before, having nothing to compare it to, but he doubted there would be many, if any, that would inspire the same feelings like this again.

Seifer watched the swirls of expression drift across Harry's face, and he could have conquered the world with the feelings running through him. He understood in part what Harry was thinking, and leaned in and brushed his lips against wind–chapped ones, pinning them beneath his own. "Thank you." The whispered words were soon snatched away by the wind and the two turned to watch the ocean as ships sliced through water and approached the shore.

The two stood quietly together, low afternoon sun glaring across the waterscape, jets reflected in the smooth surface. Soon they would be upon the city and then their mission would commence.

-0-

The two quickly dropped from the hatch into the cabin, Seifer latching it shut as Quistis told them all to get ready. His newly dubbed Knight hauled Harry into his lap and held him securely as the boat launched itself up and over Dollet's harbor wall. The squad was wrenched from their seats and almost thrown to the ground as they crashed into the shore. Instead, they sprung up and spilled out the hatch, following Quistis and their squad leader up Lapin Beach.

"You are to secure the Central Square! Equip your GF's before you go. Good luck!" Quistis gave them a nod before shooting off towards Xu.

"All right, let's move out!"

Mounting the stairs to the street that runs from Central Square to the shore, the team encounters Galbadian soldiers.

"Dollet called reinforcements!"

"Take them out!"

One of the men lifted a gun to attack; he was quickly shut down when Squall sliced clean through his throat. His comrade didn't even have time to assist as Hyperion lodged in his gut before yanking free with a twist. Blood splattered the roadway as entrails spilled onto the rocks. The two dropped like stones, never to rise.

Seifer quickly swooped in and grabbed a baton off the man he killed, while Squall pilfered the pockets of the other, coming away with money and a potion. "Take this." Seifer thrust the baton at Harry, and he fumbled for a moment before grabbing it. _Ah, gross…_ He wiped the blood onto a clean spot on the corpses uniform.

"Wha—"

"Incase you become Silenced. Your magic won't do you any good if you can't speak, can it?" Harry had forgotten to tell them that he could already do non-verbal magic, but he decided it probably would be best if he had a physical weapon too. _But a baton? Hell no._ Harry quickly transfigured it into a pistol that could be charged with, and fire, magic bullets. He grinned in satisfaction at the gleaming weapon, and Zell whistled.

"Yo, how'd ya do that?"

Seifer cuffed the fist fighter and pushed him down the street. "Mind on the mission!"

Zell made a face, muttering 'bastard' under his breath but followed obligingly as Seifer motioned to them and swept down the cobblestone path. Squall just looked at Harry, shrugged, and jogged after. Harry thought his Knight's eagerness to fight was endearing. _But I can't say that to him._ Harry ran and quickly caught up to his Captain.

-0-

It took little time and only a few skirmishes to make it to the Central Square. A bonus was being able to try out his new weapon. It preformed beautifully, and Harry decided that when he had time, he'd cast several bullet sets so he wouldn't have to use up his powers during battle.

A not so pleasant aspect of the mission was how the cadets gathered spoils after a battle. So he decided rather than stopping after each battle to let the others search corpses for useful items—_Disgusting. Why touch dead things?—_Harry just summoned them to a pouch he magically expanded. It saved time, and got the party several things they would have missed otherwise.

"Scan the area. There may still be threats," Seifer commanded.

Squall and Zell moved towards some cars stuck in an alley while Harry stood in the middle and focused, putting his pistol into a hostler he'd found and resized from an enemy. Seifer moved closer to stand next to and protect Harry as his eyes closed and the lids began to glow a faint white. Looking around, Harry used magic to scan just inside the windows and doors of nearby buildings, trying to catch anyone watching the square. All he came up with were a few families hidden on the upper floors of the flats, far away from any windows or doors.

_No snipers then._

To be doubly sure, he scanned rooftops and over entryways to the square. Squall and Zell had taken out the only other human life forms out in the open, and all that remained was their squad and a dog.

"Everything clear?" The mumbled question came from just to the left of his shoulder and Harry turned to see Seifer standing there.

"For now," he replied.

The blond nodded and stood watching the side of the square facing the mountain, arms crossed. The dog came over and yipped, but Harry threaded his hands through the fur to quiet it before Seifer snapped at it for being too loud. He had a feeling the blond was tense, and wouldn't take well to added stress just now. Harry bumped shoulders lightly with him, and smiled as Seifer's gazed flicked over. A small twitch from the corner of the blue-eyed man's mouth was his reply as the eyes darted back to their task.

Zell paced over. "We got 'em! What now?"

"We're on standby, 'til somebody comes." The sound of several blasts attempted to drown out the second half of Seifer's words. "…It's started."

Harry's hand was arrested of its petting motion when the dog suddenly disappeared from under his hand, and reappeared at the other side of the square. He just looked on utterly confused as it started to howl loudly, then run past them and hide. Eyes widening in sudden understanding, Harry grabbed Seifer with one hand and motioned quickly with the other, pulling them all near and crouching.

He pulled out his pistol before doing a shushing motion, and hissed _"Don't move!"_ Harry then twisted his fingers in an odd motion before the others felt a cold runny sensation seep quickly over their heads and down their bodies as they each swiftly vanished.

The others stilled at the phrase that sounded as if it had been hissed—not figuratively, but as if a serpent itself had deigned to speak the tongue of man, with accented speech. Shortly after they shuddered at the chilled temperature creeping across their persons.

Harry's head spun to look towards the road joining the Square from the city. Harry held up a finger just before Zell could ask what was going on, and he stilled before looking petulant. Harry motioned back to where he was watching. As heads turned, Galbadian soldiers slunk down the streets and alleys to get to the mountain path. A scout hurried them quickly across the square, and as the last disappeared, Harry and Seifer stood.

"That doesn't sit too well…" Emerald eyes glanced sideways at their Captain. "If they've got something going on that Garden and Dollet couldn't predict… How much would this set your ranking back?"

Seifer's eyes lit up at the challenge and a grin slid onto his pale face. "Depends on the outcome. Are you willing to toss the dice?"

"I'm not usually one for gambling, but perhaps a good game wouldn't be penalized." Squall's brow lowered with an almost reproachful look at their conversation, while Zell spluttered indignantly.

"We're on a SeeD mission and you're stoppin' to _gamble?" _

Harry's mouth quirked, eyes glittering with mischief focusing on the shorter blond. "Yes, but not in a way you'd expect." He turned to Seifer. "If it doesn't go well and someone needs to take blame, tell the Headmaster I ran off. Make up something about my amnesia if it helps the case. Regardless, _we,"_ here Harry pauses to look up at the mountain top, "are going _there."_

-0-

Squad B quickly followed the Galbadians up the mountain, fixing up Dollet's wounded as they went. The lower level monsters avoided and ran from Harry in a manner similar to weak monsters running from the strong ones, which preyed upon them. Though that didn't dissuade them from trying to take a chunk from the rest of the party, or deter the stronger monsters.

At the peak, a large communication tower stood, looking neglected and outdated. Below the edge of the outcropping they perched on, some soldiers could be spied talking.

"The generator is up and running!"

"No problem with the boosters!"

"...the hell they doing?" Seifer just stared mystified as if the two were absolutely barmy. Which, Harry supposed, could be true.

As far as technology went, he remembered communication towers similar to this were used in his past, but right now they were behind the times. Who regressed in technology use? "I believe they're fixing up the tower, making it so it's able to function again. But _why,_ is the question…"

"Cable disconnection confirmed! Beginning exchange process!"

"Roger."

"And why force their way in, instead of just asking…?" Squall looked bemusedly at the soldiers as they ran inside.

Seifer looked at Squall. "This your first real battle?" Then he taunted playfully, "You scared?"

Squall shrugged. "I'm not really thinking about it."

Seifer grinned widely, eyes lighting as he looked towards the tower. "I love battles. I fear nothing. The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to living your dream."

"Winning helps too, though." Harry chirped.

"Dream?" Squall asked.

"Yea, you got one?" Seifer smirked. "I've already begun to obtain mine." Squall just looked to the side, not sure what to say.

Seifer rolled his eyes, stood, and looked to his squad as they rose. "Everyone ready?"

Nods came from Squall and Harry, but Zell shifted nervously. "I don' think we should be here, man. What about the exam?"

"This _is_ the exam! We're helping Dollet! They should be _grateful _that we're doing this for them!" Harry just snorted as the blond let it go to his head for a minute.

"Down boy, or your ego won't fit through the tower door," Harry joked with a smile.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said dryly. "To the tower!" Seifer promptly dashed forward and leapt off the edge, dropping safely to the ground below.

"Er, I… I think I'll walk…" Harry trailed off nervously as he eyed the actual drop.

Though Zell thought jumping was insane as well, he couldn't resist teasing. "What, you afraid? Heights got ya squirmin'?" Zell grinned but it faded a bit as Harry's sun kissed skin turned quite pale. "You're jokin', right?"

Seifer, seeing his Sorcerer's hesitation swore. _Should've asked if he had any phobias _before_ now_. Seifer stepped forward and opened his arms, looking up at Harry. "Hey, I'll catch you! I promise!"

"B–bu-but—" Harry trailed off and backed up a step.

Squall seeing this was going nowhere fast muttered a quick 'Sorry' before giving Harry a quick prod over the edge. Seeing Seifer was in the perfect spot to catch Harry, he moved to the side and jumped as well.

"H–Hey!" Zell stood there shocked, as half his team had disappeared off the ledge.

-0-

Harry gasped and felt as though he were either going to be sick or pass out—or both. The air rushed past him while his stomach and other innards were left high up on that cliff. He clamped his eyes shut tightly and waited to splatter across the paved walk below. Needless to say, he was surprised when he felt arms wrap around him and they both let out their air supply at the impact. He felt a warm, broad chest rumble against him, and cautiously peeked open an eye. He was rewarded with a light kiss pressed to his forehead.

"What, you thought I'd miss?" Seifer chuckled again. "What good would a Knight be if he couldn't rescue his in distress?" Harry gave a weak smile and signaled he wanted down.

"Thank you," he stood on his toes to kiss his Knight's cheek, "for saving me. But don't mistake me for a damsel," Harry warned.

"Never," Seifer leered, looking Harry up and down, before leaning in. "Besides, your body is—" Seifer was silenced with an elbow to his ribs, and winced.

"Mission, remember?" Squalled walked off towards the doors.

"No abusing the Captain!" Seifer yelled.

-0-

"Damn you...!" Zell looked on as the three started to move towards the tower entrance.

Suddenly someone spoke behind him. "There you are!"

He turned to watch as a girl with brown hair stumbled over rocks and gravel to reach the path.

"Are you in Squad B?" Zell nodded. She looked around, confused. "Where's everyone else?"

When he pointed at the figures down below, she groaned, "Why make this difficult?" and proceeded to jump over the side of the cliff.

Realizing that he should just suck it up or get left behind, Zell backed up and took a running start before following his squad.

When he reached the others, the girl had already met the rest of his team. " Wait a minute...You're the guy who told me how to get to class. Thanks, I'm not late anymore! Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm...a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A. The squad captain's Seifer, right?"

Seifer nodded. "That's me."

"I have new orders! All SeeD members and SeeD candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!" She finished with a salute.

The group looked at one another before Harry spoke up. "That gives us forty-eight minutes… I'd say that's enough, considering the walk takes about only fifteen. Less if we run."

Zell punched the air in excitement. "Let's do it!"

The cadets of Squad B quickly gathered onto the lift, leaving a confused Selphie standing at the entrance. "Guys?"

Suddenly the structure of the tower groaned and creaked, and the ground rumbled a bit as the walls vibrated with movement. The screech of metal scraping metal rung throughout the tower and Selphie grabbed her ears.

-0-

When she finally stumbled off the lift, Selphie found Squad B engaged in battle with two Galbadian soldiers.

"Sir!" One cried out and looked up.

Eyes following the movement, half the cadets froze. A large tornado was descending from an open dish on top of the communication tower. It whipped around and bodily threw the two soldiers from their places, and took up a stance in the air across from the battle party.

-0-

Of all the personal experiences he could remember since waking in Seifer's arms, this had to be by far the most unpleasant. A large ugly demon-like beast came down from the machinery, and now decided they would make a good lunch—after it could thoroughly mash them of course. Seeing his teammates take unusual stances, he decided to step back for a moment and see how they would handle this. Squall seemed to be the first ready and summoned what appeared to be a large fire creature.

Apparently this became the pattern. Someone would summon a creature, some attacked with their signature moves, and other cast spells, drew from the beast, or used items when necessary. Harry saw a pattern as to what affected the being most, and moved back in to the frontlines.

"Want a turn?" Seifer called, turning to Harry.

"Yeah, I think I got it." At the nod, the other three stepped back ready to support. Harry held his hands out palm up at the waist, gathering energy. When they started to crackle with green and yellow energy, he drew them up quickly and chains shot up out of the tower deck, wrapping around wings and arms, pulling the monster lower. He sent pulses of gravity magic up the chains, weakening the creature as it tried to stay aloft.

He motioned to Seifer to finish Elvoret while he restrained it, the blond adopting a devilish smirk as he began summoning. The battle ended in a spectacular ice show as Shiva spun a little extra flourish into her attack. Seifer grinned at the display and headed over to Harry like an excited child who just found a new toy.

"That thing had a GF on it, I managed to draw the power off." He grinned and showed Harry that he now had another GF equipped. Then he frowned a bit. "But it's not really all that compatible…" He glanced up and eyed Harry. "Do you want to try?" He offered, holding out a small semi-solid light.

Harry looked at it dubiously. "What do you do with it?"

"Just pick it up, it sort of 'clicks' into place after it absorbs into your skin. Just think about turning off the link when you want to remove it."

Harry's hand hovered uncertainly above Seifer's. He felt that absorbing the GF wouldn't be the same for him, as if he was built differently than the others. Deciding, his hand dropped down and tapped the ball of light. It swirled around his hand then bumped into his palm, as if denied entry by something. It instead twined through his fingers, wrapping around his left pointer finger before solidifying into something circular.

Curious as to the odd reaction, Harry's Knight grabbed his hand and examined the ring closely. The band was a soft pale gold, with a stone set into a small gold box, appearing a clear transparent light green. "Huh… Never seen it do that before."

"Hey! Heeey! We have to get back to shore!" Selphie's voice called from over by the lift.

Harry and Seifer's eyes met, widening at the realization that the unexpected challenge cost them more time than was safe. "Let's MOVE IT!" Seifer grabbed his Sorcerer's hand before heading for the lift at a flat out sprint. This spurred the others into moving.

-0-

The group had barely made it up to the cliff they had originally jumped before something _much_ worse than the last monster occurred. A large metallic screech and the crash of metal against stone proclaimed the arrival of their newest adversary. Harry felt as though his eyes had grown to the size of tennis balls, and if the similar look on Zell's face were anything to go by, he'd guess he wasn't the only one about to piss themselves.

The monstrosity that had landed behind them looked like the love child of a mad scientist, a spider, and mechanic gone wrong. And it was _huge._ That last thought had occurred to all of them, for the group scrambled and raced down the path away from the abomination. The creature only screeched again and tore after them, eating up much more ground on the straight paths. Hearts near slammed through chests as they flew down the mountain. They had almost made it to the bridge before the horrific thing cornered them.

"Yo! That thing 's metal, right? Mechanical?" Zell called out. "See if we can short circuit the bastard! Find it's meltin' point!"

"Best idea you've had yet Dincht! Harry?" He turned to the brunette as he blasted the thing with a fire spell.

"On it!" Concentrating, Harry visualized magma seeping out of the earth below the creature, as fire spells and Ifrit were thrown at the enemy. A ball of light formed in his hand, and it sealed over with a metallic coating. Harry popped it into his pistol and fired at the robot's feet. Lava burst out of the capsule on impact, heat crawling up the legs, melting the outer skeleton.

Soon the heat caused the creatures joints to meld slightly, and while they were still sticky Seifer summoned Shiva to solidify the mess. With the monster's movements halted, they turned and fled towards the beach, knocking on doors and calling out SeeD candidates and members as they passed. As they reached the soft sand, the mechanical creation tore down the street, crushing cars and breaking walls.

"GO, GO, GO!" Seifer yelled as Zell started to lag.

They slid across the sand, all vessels—including their own—withdrawing. In panic, everyone sprung after the slow drifting hatch, stumbling to reach it as the manmade monster launched itself onto the sands, readying it's next assault. At the edge of the shore, Seifer hauled Harry up and jumped the increasing distance to the hatch, grabbing rails at the door's edge desperately.

"_Hurry!" _The Sorcerer cried, spelling a small platform extension at the edge of the ramp. The others quickly jumped on, Squall having to wade through the water a bit as Quistis started gunning down the machine before it could get them. The platform disappeared as Squall came through, the hatch quickly closing. They all turned back to see the beast shriek and twitch in the sand, before the door latched.

-0-

Seifer sauntered off the vessel, pausing to wait for Harry. He linked fingers with a tanned hand, pulling gently to bring its owner closer. As they made their way off the pier, the rest quite a bit behind, a voice called out to the blond.

"SEIFER! How'd it go?"

Harry looked up to see a huge man jogging towards them, and a smaller woman following at a more sedate pace. The man was tanned, had dark hair, a severe face that clashed with his broad smile, and appeared to work out more often than not. His clothes, overall appearing Arabian, consisted of an open short vest, and a pair of loose pants, which only served to accentuate that.

The woman on the other hand was slight, with pale silver hair, a blank expression, and had a dark patch over one eye. Her style was a cross between martial and eastern. Harry could only blink at the odd pair.

The sight of the two caused his Knight's face to stretch into a large grin. "It went successfully, of course."

"Safe?" Seifer nodded, and pulled Harry forward from his hiding spot hovering to the side and behind him.

"Guys, this is Harry. Harry, this is Fujin," he gestured to the silver haired woman, then turned towards the male. "And this is Raijin."

"Nice to meet you," Harry shuffled his feet, oddly shy about meeting what were obviously Seifer's close friends.

"Nice to meet you too, ya know?" Raijin grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"Affirmative." Fujin just nodded at him.

They turned to look as Quistis stepped up. "Good job! Be back at Garden by sundown. You're free 'til then. Ok, dismissed!"

The party walked to the car, joined by the two other members of the Disciplinary Committee, unanimously deciding that having to walk back after that mission would be more of a hassle than necessary. It was a bit cramped in the vehicle, but they somehow made the six seats work for seven people with Harry wedged securely between Seifer and Squall.

"So Harry, I've never seen ya around Garden, ya know? How'd you meet Seifer?"

-0-

The car pulled in to the parking garage, and the passengers spilled out of the tight space.

"Free! Free at last!" Harry snorted and Selphie giggled at Zell's dramatics. The others paid him no mind. "I guess I'll see you guys at the test results. See ya Squall, Harry." He quickly rushed out the door and headed towards the cafeteria.

"See ya!" Selphie echoed as she slipped off.

The remainder of the group wandered out towards the main hall, walking left around the circular path. As they neared the directory, they heard the Headmaster talking with the people Harry recognized as his Instructor and Xu.

"Mission complete! I think we did a pretty good job. The candidates are back safely, right?"

"Although we didn't realize the Galbadian Army was after the abandoned communication tower..." The Instructor sounded fairly put–out.

"We've just received word from the Dollet Dukedom. The Galbadian Army has agreed to withdraw as long as the communication army is repaired and the uplink remains operational."

"Well, in any case, Galbadia is out of there. We could've made more money if they'd stayed and caused more ruckus."

The group moved past the chatting adults. But Xu and Quistis caught up. "Seifer, I'm afraid you'll be taking responsibility for leaving the desi—"

"It wasn't his fault, ma'am." Xu turned towards Harry, brows raised. "It was—" Harry too was cut off as the Headmaster came over and dismissed the two women.

"Seifer. You will be disciplined for—"

"—_Sir!"_ Harry cut in once more, pleading. "Please don't! I ran off before they had a chance to stop me. The Squad was just worried something would happen to me, I-I'm sorry for abandoning the post, but a group of Galbadian soldiers we were supposed to stop slipped past us and headed up the mountain, and we were told to stop _everyone_ so I…" Here, Harry's eyes started to water and his lips trembled as his voice started to break. "A–and, I–I… just wanted t–to…" His eyes started spilling over and the Headmaster looked on in horror as the poor child started _crying._

"It's okay, my boy! Don't cry, it was your first mission, you were just doing what you thought was right… _oh dear… _Please don't cry, everything's all right, it's okay, I understand."

Harry sniffled as he wiped his eyes on the corner of his sleeve. "S–so you're not mad?"

"No! Heavens, no. It was just a misunderstanding; I'll get it all sorted out right now. Carry on boys." The Headmaster quickly strode off looking guilt­–ridden and uncomfortable.

Seifer whipped around to face Harry and see if he was okay, only to find the brunette beaming at him as a smaller darker hand snatched his own up. Only a few small tracks and a light redness to the rims of Harry's eyes signaled he had ever cried at all. Surprised shock fell over Seifer when Harry chuckled.

"See? No problem."


	4. Nod and Smile

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own the HP or FF series. But they go smashingly together, and someone should convince the original owners of such._

_Warnings- Mild unpleasantness, slash relationship development, curse words._

_A.N: Sorry about that, no, the story or myself are not dead… Here's a teeny post to prod the ball rolling again. _

**Nod and Smile**

An incredulous look was directed to the brunette who was dabbing at an eye with a sleeve corner. "…The heck was that?" Seeing all the stares directed at him, Harry shrugged.

"What? Guys aren't capable of acting? Kids learn how to make crocodile tears when they're barely out of their diapers! Besides, it got you out of trouble." Seifer didn't know whether to thank Harry or glare at him for making Seifer believe the tears.

Raijin grinned broadly and slapped Seifer on the back, slightly knocking the blond off balance. "Hey, he's good for your reputation, ya know? Who knows what would've happened if he weren't here!" The grin faltered only slightly when confronted with a sullen look, and he gave out a nervous chuckle and edged back next to Fujin.

"You–!"

During the ensuing squabble, Squall glanced at the slowly emptying hall noticing some of the students from the exam trickling towards the elevators. "I think we should–"

"All students who participated in today's field exam report to the second floor hallway. I repeat: All students who took the field exam, report to the second floor hallway."

Raijin slapped Harry on the back with such force the brunette pitched forward at the action. "That's you guys, ya know!"

-0-

He was nervous, but wouldn't admit it to himself. The Staff member was taking their own sweet time announcing, and with each drawled out name, his fidgeting became more noticeable.

"...Please step forward." A burst of air left his lungs and he nodded at the other as they passed.

The Faculty member folded his list and gave what appeared to be a disdainful look to the other students. "That is all. Dismissed."

-0-

"These are the five students that passed today's exam." The Faculty member turned and seemed to look disapprovingly at the person standing in the corner, before turning away again clearly disregarding them. Eyes rolled in reply. Clearing his throat, Headmaster Cid stepped forward.

"To you all, congratulations. From now on, as a member of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world. SeeD, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers, are combat specialists. But that is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes—"

"Headmaster, it's almost time for the meeting. Please make this short." The Headmaster looked slightly put out at the interruption, but continued.

"SeeD is a valuable asset to Garden, and our reputation relies heavily on each one of you. Please, take care with your missions." When it looked like the Headmaster was about to continue, the staff member promptly stepped forward.

"Here is your SeeD rank report!" Headmaster Cid accepted the scrolls, and passed them out, whispering to each student as he went.

-0-

Harry was starting to get bored. It was obvious that the Headmaster wanted to tell them something important, but now that he was distracted, it would have to wait. _That's probably what that uptight robed guy wants._

"This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!"

Quickly, Headmaster Cid stepped forward, shooing away an irritated Faculty member. "Will Squad B remain behind please? You too, Harry."

-0-

Cid watched the boys look around before gathering. "Now, I'm sure you all have questions, but I really must make this brief. You all did wonderfully today, and even with a few bumps, I must say you all work together well. While tricky and not quite ethical, I can allow Harry to remain in Garden as a 'transfer' student." He paused, turning to pick up a file. Looking the young Sorcerer in the eye, he handed the file over. "I will need you to fill these out, I believe your friends can help with whatever questions you have. Return the papers to me between 1500—1700 hours this afternoon."

"Yes, Sir." Harry held his registration documents tightly and Headmaster Cid smiled at the group before catching the time on the clock.

"As for the rest of you boys, feel free to show him the ropes until the dance. Sleeping arrangements have been made, and can be found in the Dorm Hall." With a nod of his head, Cid slipped out of the office to go to his meeting.

-0-

As the majority of the group had yet to eat, they proceeded down to the cafeteria for both food and to work on the transfer papers.

"What's got you so down?" Raijin asked Zell, hanging back a bit to even pace with the trudging SeeD.

"The hot dogs… they were already all gone."

The heartbroken moan sent Seifer's eyes rolling and Squall shook his head. Harry glanced over at Zell curiously.

"Are the hot dogs actually that good?" Apparently he had said a trigger word, for the fighter lit up and began swinging his arms wildly, almost decking a student leaving the cafeteria.

"They're amazing! Fantastic! Better than most cafeteria food! They're the best thing we've got on the menu and-"

Fujin motioned Harry over to the counter for orders, Zell continuing to blather in the background oblivious to the other's escape. When the Sorcerer reached the counter a plate was pushed at him. Raising a brow, Harry grabbed the tray while tucking the folders under an arm and followed Fujin and Squall as they grabbed a table. Seifer snagged the next tray and quickly followed.

Settling as they waited for the other two to join, Harry pulled out the documents to give them a once over, and bit into his food. Reaching the table, Seifer settled next to him suggesting random answers for some spots. As they were working out a plausible back story, the others would interject with their own ideas.

"DUDE!" A tray clattered against the table startling the others who were deep in discussion. Glares or questioning looks from the table mates were directed at the temperamental blond, who slowly was starting to shake. Harry flinched back when a finger was flung accusingly into his face. "Is that a hotdog?"

Giving Zell a wide-eyed look, the emerald orbs darted down to look at the mostly eaten hotdog in his hand, before they shot back up to the near-rabid blond. The others at the table ducked their heads or looked away, a small evil grin on Fujin's face. Glancing over to Squall, finding no help from the pudding-eating traitor that gave him the plate, Harry decided quickly and shoved the last bit into his mouth before chewing and shaking his head furiously.

"GAAAH!"

-0-

"… I can't believe you broke the table." Came Squall's low reproachful tone.

The flustered fist fighter growled while pointing; "He ate my hotdog!" A red head passing flinched when Zell growled, ducking her head and hurrying out of the dorm hall.

"Technically it wasn't yours… and Squall gave it to me!"

Folding his arms, Harry gave Zell a hellish glare that was matched in full as the two stared each other down. Finally, Zell looked away, muttering angrily.

"Punk… Just your luck they'd found that last half package stuffed in the back… Would'a been _mine_ if–"

"Zell–" The fist fighter glanced at Squall, "Shut up."


End file.
